SummeRISe - Issue 117

89 Wednesday, Thursday 30 November 21 May 2016 2015 Issue 117 GENERAL GENERAL

NURSERY

KG FS

PRIMARY PRIMARY

SECONDARY SECONDARY

National Day Celebrations

PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC

DATE

EVENTS December

Thursday, 01 December

Commemoration Day

Friday, 02 December

UAE National Day

Monday, 05 December

Year 3 Field Trip

Tuesday, 06 December

Nursery Field Trip

Wednesday, 07 December

Open Day

Thursday, 08 December

Year 6 Field Trip

Sunday, 11 December

Prophet's Birthday

Monday, 12 December

Nursery Green Day

Thursday, 15 December

FS Winter Concert

Thursday,18 December - Sunday, 31 December

Winter Break January

Sunday, 01 January

New Year - Holiday

Monday, 02 January

Students and teachers return

Wednesday, 11 January

Open Day

Thursday, 12 January

Nursery Orange Day

Sunday, 15 January

15-19: FS Field Trip

Message from the Principal International mindedness must ‘permeate every aspect of Raffles International School’ Our Vision Providing world class education At R I S students are expected to 'develop and transform their attitudes beliefs to those which are in tune with ideals of world citizenship, which 'would include the breaking down of barriers and prejudices .... Transforming t h e focus of young people's thinking from the parochial to the global and from the narrow-minded to the broad-minded' (Waterson Hayden, 1999:18). The D alai Lama refers to international mindedness as "the oneness of humanity", and he goes on to explain "nowadays, whatever happens in one region eventually affects many other areas. Within the context of our new interdependence, self-interest clearly lies in considering interest of others".

Cross cultural awareness and appreciation of diversity are keys to global citizenship this century.

‘International education’ has become an even more important approach to preparing students for active and purposeful lives as global citizens. The essence of international education and a challenge for international schools is embracing the concept of 'international mindedness'. In fact there lies the success of international education as students of such schools develop global perspective that is built upon understanding and respect for one's own culture and that embraces knowledge of global issues and their interdependence cultural differen ces .

In 1974 stated that 'international education should about peace and human rights in order enable every person promote and co-operation, which are necessary in solving world problems" (Hill, 2012). At RIS the aim is to prepare our children for the future and to embed core values such as integrity and respect which will guide them on their educational journey ‘for success in an ever changing world’. At RIS international mindedness goes in tandem with the ideas of collaboration and helping others. International mindedness 'is a frame of mind an approach to issues, an attitude towards oneself, and the world at large (Ellwood & Davis, 2009), it must permeate every aspect of the school; teaching, extra-curricular activities, celebrations, sport, music, art and community projects.

Embedded in t h e R I S mission statement is the concept o f a student c e n t r e d i n t e r n a ti o n a l school challenging every student to become responsible global citizens. Comprising s t u d e n t s representing 9 0 p l u s nationalities and teachers nationalities, RIS is by name, definition and make-up a multi-national, multi-cultural community which only strengthens our uniqueness and strengthens our identity because there is so much diversity. Our aim should be to support each other and to value and promote international mindedness and understanding.

Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness.” Ola Joseph Mr. Michael Clack Principal

UAE Social Studies UAE Social Studies is taught to all students from Nursery to Year 10 as per the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The curriculum is supported by a variety of resources and is delivered by RIS staff. The subject matter is designed to teach the children the values of citizenship and loyalty in their broader meaning within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The curriculum emphasises the concepts of citizenship and heritage that combine the principles of culture, traditions, and affiliations to the UAE. As citizens in the UAE, we take great pride in the country we live in and the inclusion of UAE Social Studies on the timetable ensures that all students are able to learn about the UAE’s geography, history, and language. They are important parts of our education in the UAE and are incorporated into our school’s curriculum to provide students with a better understanding and appreciation for the history and culture of the UAE. The United Arab Emirates is located in the southeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and is made up of the seven emirates: Abu Dhabi (the largest), Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al -Khaimah, and Umm Al-Qaiwain. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founder of the UAE and ruler of the federation since 1971. He was succeeded by his son, Sheikh Khaifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyann in 2004.

Currently, the UAE is home to around 9 million people and is known to have the seventh largest oil reserves in the world.

The United Arab Emirates has a rich history dating back to thousands of years. So, the country is concerned with preserving and documenting such heritage for the next generations.

President H. H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the members of Supreme Council are keen on preserving and promoting the UAE heritage amongst the youth by educating them; thus, linking the glorious past and the magnificent civilisation with its future generation.

Therefore, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President, has urged the cultural, educational and academic institutions to keep the good work to raise awareness in the youth of their cultural and civilized heritage of their country.

H. H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late president and founding father of the United Arab Emirates, had a great interest in preserving the heritage for the benefit of the country and the next generations. His interest was not limited to the national heritage, but included international heritage, as he established a USD 150,000 award with UNESCO to encourage human creativity and save threatened heritage monuments.

Gary Williams Dean of Students

GIVE UPDATE

Hard work on the site in Nepal

GREAT SUCCESS AT GIVE WALKATHON

Our GIVE team of students and teachers has just returned from Nepal where they have begun construction on the first of The GIVE team welcomed by the local Nepali our sponsored schools. community

Thanks to the many fundraisers such as the GIVE Walkathon we are now well on our way to raising funds for the fourth primary school in this region. We aim to visit the area to help with construction every year. It is also important to mention that all funds raised so far have been matched by the board of directors of Innoventures Education.

The GIVE team lived with the local community while there and participated in many cultural awareness lessons where they learned how to sew and practised yoga amongst other activities.

The GIVE Ambassadors at the airport

The GIVE Ambassadors Adeesh Kataria Ashali Kataria

DIA DIA

Jacob Tullberg

DIA

Leo Ahmed

DIA

Marco Castellano

DIA

Praniti Mirani

DIA

Ananya Mirchandani

DIA

Sara Ravenna

DIA

Carrie Wojtowicz

DIA chaperone

Andrew Jennings

RWA chaperone

Emma Turnbull

RIS chaperone

Thani Al Mehairy

RWA

Ali Hilal

RWA

Matthew Cairns

RIS

A current picture of our first sponsored school

Counselling Understanding and managing separation distress (Taken from the website www.kidsmatter.edu.au)

Elisha’s story Roy was trying to get his two-year-old daughter, Elisha, ready for child care. "Me no go. Lisha stay Daddy," Elisha cried as she ran to her bedroom.

Roy followed her and said softly, "Elisha, you are really upset. Would you like a hug?" Elisha ran to her dad for a comforting hug. "It is hard sometimes being away from me isn’t it?", ’‘Me miss Daddy," Elisha cried.

Roy stroked Elisha’s hair as this always helped her calm down.

He reminded Elisha about some of the fun things she does at child care with the other children. Elisha started to feel better and offered "I like painting!" Roy replied, "Yes you do.

Remember the one of Mummy, Daddy and Elisha on the fridge? And we added some trees and flowers when we got home didn’t we?" Going to the kitchen, Roy suggested "Why don’t you take it to show everyone today?"

Still looking a bit anxious Elisha watched her father place it in her bag. Roy reassured Elisha by saying "I am always thinking of you and we will see each other again at the end of the day. I wonder what you will bring home to show me tonight?"

Why can separating from parents and carers be distressing for young children?

From around six months, most children begin to show distress when they are away from their primary caregivers. As they do not yet have a separate sense of self, babies see their parents or carers as part of themselves and feel a part of them is missing when they are apart. Babies may not understand you will come back after leaving them. Babies and young children may also feel anxious around unfamiliar people, though this may reduce over time. As children feel less intense separation distress and their familiarity with their early childhood service increases, they tend to worry less. Older children have developed a separate sense of self and therefore have a greater understanding their parents or carers will return.

Helping manage separation distress Adults can help children manage their separation distress and help them feel safe by being calm, relaxed and reassuring, noticing their child’s emotions and comforting them. A balance is required, however. For adults, it is important to find the balance between supporting and reassuring children and allowing children to have opportunities to practise managing their own emotions. By being emotionally available and showing understanding about children’s fears, you help to manage children’s distress when it is too big for them to manage on their own.

Adults can help reduce children’s fear of separation from parents and carers by reassuring and comforting them.

Understanding Children's separation distress can be due to…

Adults can help reduce the child’s distress by…

The way the child thinks "I don’t feel safe without my Mum or Dad."

Supporting your child to develop helpful thinking and remind them of what usually happens when you are away from each other.

"Something bad will happen and I may never see them again."

"You can trust me to make sure that you are safe."

"When I leave you, you are ok and I’ll come back for you."

How they cope with feeling afraid

Giving your child some ways to cope when they are apart from you

"I am scared and I don’t know what to do."

"Here is a kiss for you to keep in your pocket until I come back."

"Here is a photo of us together to remind you that we will be together again soon."

"Let’s take some deep breaths to calm us down."

Picking up on parents’ and carers’ cues "Mummy looks worried and upset so there must be something wrong. Now I feel worried or scared too!"

Being calm and helping your child to be calm too "Mummy seems happy and relaxed. Seems like everything is ok. I feel safe. There is nothing to worry about."

Understanding children’s separation distress When a child gets angry, upset or worried and their behaviour is hard to manage, try to think about what may be going on for the child. Some common experiences, possible explanations and suggestions are described below.

Some common experiences

Possible explanations

Some suggestions to try

Baby Hamish has been happy at child care since he was six months old. At 10 months he started becoming upset when separating from his father in the mornings.

Hamish is attached to his dad and has developed the capacity to remember and recognise familiar faces. He sees others as strangers.

Hamish may feel less distressed if he has a special toy or blanket to help him feel connected to his dad when they are apart.

Three-year-old Ruby is screaming and clinging to her mother, not letting her go.

Ruby has a close attachment to her mother. If her mother feels anxious and Ruby has picked up on this, she may feel scared and unsafe.

Practise being calm. Talk with staff about your feelings. Think about transition times (eg find a special way to say goodbye to Ruby in the morning and reunite later in the day, and try to use this consistently).

Four-year-old Jarek won’t get out of bed. "I have a tummy ache." He is usually very happy to go to Kindergarten.

He has a new baby brother.

It is not unusual for children who have settled well in their early childhood service to experience distress in response to changes in their life.

Talk with Jarek about how he is feeling and use this opportunity to remind him of his importance in his family. Perhaps Jarek could show his friends some photos of his new, bigger family.

The RIS U16 basketball team reach the final for the second year in a row. We played the final away against Dubai English Speaking College. The game started well bringing RIS boys up to 9 points for more than two quarters and at the beginning of the 4th quarter we were leading by 7 points.

4 minutes before the end of the game DESC came back and the score was tied 38-38. Our guys step up after a couple of 3 points shots made by Davlatbek and few unstoppable lay ups drawn by Giovani.

The game finish 51-47 for our U16 boys getting the trophy for the second year in a row.

RIS Sports Team

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FS

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Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended Family, Peace is the center of Maria Montessori's philosophy. She believed that respect for the environment and living things was the primary aim of education and that this respect would lead to peace. In her words, '"Our principal concern must be to educate humanity--the human beings of all nations--in order to guide it toward seeking common goals" (Cossentino & Witcomb, 2007, p. 115). She regarded children as the hope and promise for mankind and therefore thought it was essential to invest in them to promote world peace.

“This is education, understood as a help to life; an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution and unites all in a common aim, attracting them as to a single centre. Mothers, fathers, politicians: all must combine in their respect and help for this delicate work of formation, which the little child carries on in the depth of a profound psychological mystery, under the tutelage of an inner guide. This is the bright new hope for mankind.” (The Absorbent Mind, p. 15, emphasis mine) Montessori promoted a specific way of investing in children to promote peace. This philosophy had three main elements: prepared environments, planes of development and cosmic education. The philosophy and guiding principle in our nursery classrooms centres around this very concept. We believe that the ability to build meaningful relationships that strengthen our world community will increasingly depend on our awareness, understanding and acceptance of the divergent cultures around us.

The nursery’s commitment to cultural awareness is rooted in its open admissions policy, which has lead, naturally, to multi-cultural classrooms filled with children with diverse experiences from around the world. One of the most important principles that guides learning in our classrooms is to ‘follow the child,’ implying an individualization of each child’s learning journey. There is focus on hands-on learning, stress on development of practical life skills and the absorption of the concept of a complete cycle of activity.

Unique to the Montessori classrooms is the understanding of cause and effect and more specifically that that everything we do has a consequence on the people around us, our community and ultimately the world. Our teachers teach even the youngest of children to care for their environment and that of others.

“Place the soul of the child in contact with creation, in order that he may lay up for himself treasures from the forces of living nature.” (Maria Montessori). Walking into our Montessori classroom, adults are often amazed at the order, peacefulness, and cleanliness of the environment.

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Our teachers will guide the children in ways to care for the learning materials on the shelves, how to clean up their work space, and how to respect the space of their peers. Montessori education encourages children to value and care for their environment and the world they live in. In fact, spending time observing nature, playing in it, and caring for it is an important element of the Montessori philosophy.

Children in our nursery have the independence to choose what to work on and for how long. The teacher is there to guide each child, like a guide who recognizes that each child learns in a different way and at a different pace. If a child encounters a hindrance or becomes frustrated, the teacher, instead of immediately stepping in to solve the problem for the child, will encourage the child to pause, consider his options, and think through a possible solution, building critical thinking skills both independently and in collaboration with the child’s peers.

Cosmic education within our Montessori classrooms has been designed to help each child discover his or her cosmic role. This meant what was one's role in the larger, collective world. This aspect has many spiritual influences and focuses on the harmony of the universe. Children explored the wonders of the universe as whole structures and then in more manageable, smaller parts.

Moving from ‘macro’ to ‘micro’ our children will learn critical thinking skills, which Montessori considered key to seeing the problems in the current system and changing it to promote peace. By the end of the year the children will have had the opportunity to participate in community based events such as Kids who share, Red Box Appeal, Earth Day, Breast Cancer awareness day, Recycling initiatives etc.

Garima Kapoor Assistant Head Early Years

Cross Curricular Links—Role play during transport week

Developing Life skills while working in the practical life area

Developing self confidence along with numeracy skills

Demonstrating the learning skills of collaboration

The beginning of Literacy Pre-writing skills

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PRIMARY SCHOOL

Social Studies and Global Citizenship At Raffles, the students have one period of Social Studies each week. Social Studies can provide students with the skills for productive problem solving and decision making, as well as for assessing issues and making thoughtful value judgments. Above all, the Social Studies help students to integrate these skills and understandings into a framework for responsible citizen participation, whether during play, in the school, the community, or the world. For children to develop citizenship skills appropriate to democracy, they must be capable of thinking critically about complex societal problems and global problems.

The early years are ideal for children to begin to understand democratic norms and values (justice, equality, etc.)-especially in terms of the smaller social entities of the family, classroom, and community. Applying these concepts to the nation and the world is easier if we understand and appreciate them on smaller but manageable scales.

Children need to understand that they are unique in themselves but share many similar feelings and concerns with other children. They need to understand how as individuals they can contribute to society. During the Social Studies lessons, students are exposed to topics such as, Understanding their place at home and how they can contribute to their family life, Understanding the hierarchy of their school and the UAE; to appreciate their place in society and school.

In addition to the Social Studies lessons, the students in FS and Year 1 have the opportunities to explore the Culture area of the Montessori curriculum. The study of Cultural subjects provides the child with the opportunity to explore their place in society, understand similarities between their own culture and others thereby developing tolerance and respect for differences. Learning these concepts by working with the concrete material contributes to a development of the intellect and increases curiosity about the world around them.

Susie Mcshane Assistant Head of Primary

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FS News “Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment”.

Maria Montessori.

A Montessori environment is well equipped with materials and activities in all areas of the curriculum.

The children display high levels of confidence and independence throughout the day. The children are showing more respect towards their friends and they are able to regulate their own social interactions.

In science, the children reinforced their knowledge about plants by conducting some interesting experiments to understand the germination process. They were also excited to record their observations about how the seeds they planted have grown into a plant.

During the Social Studies lessons, the children had the opportunity to talk about their own cultures and to learn about the cultures of their peers in classroom. This gave the chance to appreciate the meaning of tolerance and its importance and illustrations in the UAE. It was also very enriching to have some parents coming to class to speak about their cultures and discuss it with the children.

We are looking forward to the UAE national day celebrations filled with fun activities to explore.

FS Team Year 1 News “To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of 'otherness' and instead embrace 'togetherness'.” – Suzy Kassem In Year 1 we strive to shape and grow global citizens. We hope to send world minded children on to the next year.

We use our Circle of Culture lessons to introduce and explore new countries with the children. In Social Studies, we learn more about the UAE, in order for us to respect our host country and its traditions. As part of our Montessori materials, we also explore the seven different continents and the flags of the different countries. Through all of above, we hope to achieve our goal of helping children to have a holistic understanding of global citizenship and to have them understand what it means to be united even though they are part of different entities.

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In mathematics, the concept of 3D shapes were introduced. The children explored this topic by building their own 3D shapes, using toothpicks and small marshmallows.

In English, the children learnt how to write lists – they used the correct format and were able to make very interesting shopping lists.

In science, the children were able to look at, touch and compare real plants. They now have an excellent understanding of the different parts of a plant.

We look forward to celebrating the UAE National Day this Tuesday, the children will be performing in the assembly at 11.00 am, and parents are invited to join.

Year 1 Team

Year 2 News In Year 2 we have a designated time for UAE Social Studies in our timetable each week. We recognise this as a central part to our curriculum and want to use this time to gain the best from our students.

We use these lessons to explore UAE culture and heritage as well as ideas of global citizenship. This is done through exploring different cultures from around the globe some of which we have firsthand knowledge and experience of in the form of our very own students. We compare different countries and investigate values in each to find things which connect us even though we may be from countries which are far apart. Values of tolerance, modesty, leadership and education are a few examples.

Our UAE Social Studies lesson last week was focused on the seven different emirates and where they are geographically placed on a map of the country. This week we look forward to taking part in the UAE’s 45th National day celebrations and will be able to experience all things Emirati from traditional Henna painting, to Arabic food to local stories. This will be a truly unique opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in the local culture and celebrations.

Year 2 Team

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Year 3 News Year 3 have been very active this past while completing lots of fun projects and learning activities. The most recent highlight in Year 3 was the students’ presentations of their project- “Country in a Box”. As the students were recently researching the UAE, and then other countries around the world, they were well prepared to complete this activity.

Once all projects were brought to school, the students gave wonderful presentations on their home country to their engaged and intrigued classmates. The celebration of cultures around the world was fantastic to behold. The audience of classmates were encouraged to ask the presenter any questions, which were answered confidently and eagerly. The students natural knowledge of their home country and confidence in delivery of presentation was outstanding, as well as the caliber of the work presented.

In other news, the children are very excited about the upcoming field trip to Emirates Park Zoo. The trip is aimed to visually enhance their learning on living things and animal habitats. It is sure to be an enjoyable and beneficial trip.

The children have continued practicing their letter writing skills, moving onto formal letters, and are enjoying the lost art of letter writings. They are also reviewing the topic of Data Handling, consolidating learning. In science, the students have begun exploring magnificent magnets. Social Studies sees the students exploring the seven Emirates of the UAE- always a popular topic.

With not long to go until the Winter holiday, the students and teachers are working hard completing all topics and assessments.

Year 3 Team Year 4 Team In English, students have participated in the ‘100 Words Story’ competition and have created some wonderful short stories. This helped us to revise the different features of story writing. The students have also explored the use of preposition in English and we have looked at how we can use these in our own writing.

In Social Studies, students have continued to engage well with the topic of the UAE. We have looked closely at the national clothes of the UAE and discussed the different styles and materials that are worn by the local people. We have compared these clothes with the national clothes of our own countries. We are looking forward to celebrating National Day this coming week and showing our appreciation and respect to the UAE. In science, we have completed investigations for our Habitats topic. We are now looking at identification keys and how we can classify animals. We are looking closely at ‘Desert Animals’ to link to the topic of the UAE. In mathematics, we have started studying the topic of Time. The children have been working on reading time and matching given times to the times on a clock. We have been linking the topic to real life situations and exploring the different professions that may use the calculations of ‘Time’ in their Year 4 Team

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Year 5 News Every week the Year 5 students learn about the UAE through Social Studies lessons. This is embedded in the curriculum and is recognized as a very important part of the week for the students. The students take great pride in the country they call home, they are active participants during lessons and are keen to learn about the local traditions and cultures of the UAE. So far this year we have already learned about the traditional customs of the UAE including the local dances, dress, food and ways of life. We learned about the students’ rights and responsibilities as a UAE citizen. We have also gained an appreciation for Islamic culture by delving into the knowledge we already know but sharing it and critically thinking about why or what makes us do these things in Dubai. This is an important topic that the students enjoy and can relate to in their everyday lives.

As students of Raffles International School we are Global Citizens. We celebrate our Global Citizenship through many activities during the school year. Our most recent activity was our Culture Box activity.

Students created a box at home that showed off their home country and the culture it holds. Inside the boxes they included items they thought represented their home culture. These were shared with the class which ensured students gained an appreciation for their peers’ culture.

Year 5 Team

Year 6 News As we approach the holidays, we can confidently say that we have made great strides in making learning holistic and meaningful. The introduction of Ministry of Education Social Studies curriculum has brought focus on Internationalism and Global citizenship. Students have been discussing and sharing ideas on celebrating the richness of cultural diversity in classrooms. Students can relate that values like respect, charity, fairness and justice are global and are aspired by all peoples of the world.

Year 6 have participated in an anti-bullying poster making competition; an area which has been addressed by students for the students. Results will be announced by the end of the week.

First week of December will also be the assessment week and the schedule and topics have been sent out for organising revision work.

It is not all work and no play; we plan to go for a field trip before school closes for the winter holidays as also some of our students are off to a ski trip.

All ASAs end on Thursday, 8th December and more information will be sent out for term 2 activities.

Year 6 Team

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SECONDARY SCHOOL UAE Social Studies and Global Citizenship

In line with the UAE national priorities and the Dubai strategic plan 2021, schools in Dubai are required to incorporate the Ministry of Education UAE Social Studies curriculum standards into their curricula. The rationale for this is to provide students with in-depth knowledge, skills and understanding in UAE history, geography and civics, emphasising the links and relationships between diverse groups, people, science and society. The delivery of this curriculum should help ensure that students will contribute, as responsible citizens and residents of the UAE, to the building of a cohesive society that is inclusive of all, while preserving the UAE culture, heritage and traditions (1).

Raffles International Secondary School fully launched the UAE Social Studies curriculum at the beginning of the 2016/2017 academic year. Students in Years 7-10 study Social Studies for 55 minutes per week (Monday lesson 1) with a clear set of objectives to follow. Whilst the predominant focus is on the UAE, teachers are required to factor in International Education topics throughout their lessons. Over the course of this year, students will learn about the economy, historical and geographical aspects of the UAE, politics, health care and education. In preparation for the UAE National Day, students in Year 7 created projects and discussed them with the Primary School students, demonstrating what they have learnt in Social Studies.

Alongside the projects created by Year 7, all students in Years 9-11 were taken on a field trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Tour guides helped our students understand key features of the mosque and how Sheikh Zayed’s vision inspired the magnificent building.

Throughout the day students took hundreds of photos that will be displayed on the Secondary corridors next week.

Building upon the UAE Social Studies curriculum, students are also exposed to world news in their tutor groups each week. Whether it is discussing the news or talking about each other’s culture, RIS provides a very healthy international learning environment supporting all aspects of a pluralistic community.

As always, if you would like to communicate with me regarding anything related to the Second School at RIS, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail, give me a call or stop by the office.

Mr. Ian Plant Deputy Head of Secondary References https://www.khda.gov.ae/Areas/Administration/Content/FileUploads/Publication/Documents/ English/20160630100731_KHDAInspectionSupplementEnglish.pdf

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Year 7 News On the Friday, 2nd December the UAE will celebrate its establishment as a national - Al-Eid Al Watani: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a union of seven distinct Arab kingdoms located on the south eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and bordering the Persian Gulf. The history leading up to this event is complex. First, Arab pirates in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries were accustomed to raiding British ships, which led the British to attack in 1809 and 1819. They then formed an alliance with local rulers beginning in 1820 and culminating in 1892. In exchange for British protection, certain limitations on independence were agreed to. Later, in the 1960s, the British withdrew, ending the longstanding "Exclusive Agreement" on December 1st, 1971.

No union was agreed upon in the days just before the end of the treaty. Out of necessity, Abu Dhabi and Dubai drew up a constitution and began a union immediately on December 1st. Four more emirates joined on Friday, 2nd December, and the last one joined in February of 1972 (http:// publicholidays.ae/national-day/).

At RIS’s very own National Day, the Year 7s will do their part with the showcasing of this information and more by presenting on the following topics: the National Agenda, Arabic Fashion, the History of UAE and Tourism.

Year 7 Team

Year 8 News Over the last two weeks the big focus for Year 8 has been preparing for National Day. This has an especial emphasis this year as the students in Year 8 have for the first time been fully studying the UAE Social Studies programme. This programme is designed to give every student an insight into the history and culture of the UAE, its major figures and how they fit into the national picture.

Year 8 have learned in great detail about the modern culture of the UAE – for example researching the role that women play in developing the UAE. This has helped them understand the modern dynamic of the country, and given them context for understanding the importance of the UAE national agenda.

Emirati students have shared aspects of their culture which residents, even those who have lived here a long time, might not have known before. This has helped the Year 8’s become more culturally aware, and has made them very excited for the upcoming National Day. Year 8 Team

Year 9 News On Sunday this week we had a visit from DP World’s Education Programme. The visitors came to talk to the Year 9 students about careers and introduce them to the wide range of careers available to them.

They found it fascinating to learn about the different roles that were needed for a container to successfully arrive at Jebel Ali Port. Alongside the students also learnt geographical facts about the different areas of the world that the shipping containers came from.

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This brought home to us all how important it was to have an awareness of our roles as Global Citizens, and what it means to be a responsible Global Citizen. This is also something that has been discussed in our Social Studies lessons. Education for global citizenship helps enable young people to develop the core competencies which allow them to actively engage with the world, and help to make it a more just and sustainable place. Global citizenship should not be seen as an additional subject, it is a way of life. Discussions in class have highlighted aspects such as social justice, the appreciation of diversity and the importance of sustainable development. Through exploring issues and considering them from different viewpoints, the students have tried to understand the notions of causes and consequences. They have then thought and considered critically what can be done about the issues, relating them to values and worldviews. This is now being put to use when the students are creating their door banners for our anti bullying campaign. We await their displays with anticipation.

This week the Year 9’s are visiting the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi to celebrate National Day. They will be learning about its’ history, architecture and role in the national and international community. I look forward to sharing our experiences in the next SummaRISe. Once again please continue to support your child in school ensuring that they arrive on time, are FIT for learning and working to the best of their ability. If you would like to discuss any issues please do not hesitate to contact the Year 9 Team. bryonyl@rafflesis.com Year 9 Team

Year 10 and 11 News Another couple of busy weeks have gone by and we are coming closer to the end of term 1. Last week students had to take the International Benchmark Tests (IBT) in English, Mathematics and Science. It is an internationally administered programme of assessments which is taken between grades and overtime to allow schools to compare student performance internationally. The tests are developed and marked by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the reports provide schools with detailed information about student’s strengths and areas for improvement. The assessment in not linked to any curriculum and allows students from all countries to be compared fairly.

As part of the National Day celebrations, Year 10 and 11 students were taken on a field trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 29 th November. The trip gave the opportunity to students to investigate the local culture and heritage in more detail. The trip was also linked to the subject of Social Studies where students, as global citizens, need to develop awareness of the Islamic values and of the culture of our host country. During the visit one of the tour guides briefed the students on the history of the mosque and explained in detail the design and the decorations and the mosque.

Year 10 and 11 Team